I recognise and deeply value the hugely important work, dedication and professionalism of public servants who deliver vital services in communities across the country. I see this in my work daily, and every citizen in our State interacting with our public services experiences this too.Investing in our public service workforce is fundamental to delivering high-quality public services. It enables Government to meet the needs of a growing population across key areas such as health, education and justice and other key services. Ensuring we can continue to attract and retain talented public servants remains central to my commitment to maintaining excellence in public service delivery.Since 2020 the public service pay bill has increased by €12 billion, reaching €34 billion in 2026 – an increase of 55 per cent. Through this investment, the numbers employed in the public service have already exceeded 420,000 this year. This represents an increase of more than 70,000 since 2020.This Government is committed to being a good employer and seeks to provide competitive terms and conditions of employment. As a good employer, we want to provide public servants with greater certainty about their pay in what are uncertain times. This wider economic context is important. There continues to be profound uncertainty in the global environment, particularly due to the conflict in the Middle East. Because of this, and despite the daily calls from the Opposition to throw more money at every issue, it is more important than ever that budgetary policy remains balanced and sustainable over the medium term.In that context, a collective agreement that can provide clarity and predictability for public servants is critical. Agreements that offer a clear framework for pay over a defined period can help provide reassurance at a time when many factors remain beyond our control.[ Public sector pay must keep pace with private sector trends as population grows and agesOpens in new window ]For many years the Government has demonstrated its strong commitment to collective bargaining, seeking to reach agreement with public service unions and representative associations on pay and related issues in respect of the public service workforce.I believe these collective agreements have delivered for public servants and for Ireland. They have delivered something fundamental to public servants and to Government: certainty, stability and fairness. Public service agreements help protect the pay of public servants from inflation. Recent agreements quite rightly placed a particular emphasis on protecting the earnings of lower-paid workers in our public service. For these groups, pay has increased by 30.7 per cent between December 2018 and May 2026, compared with inflation of 27.5 per cent over the same period.As the current Public Service Agreement 2024–2026 expires this week, I want to take the opportunity to assure all public servants that Government wants to reach a new agreement as soon as possible with relevant staff representatives.I am also conscious that, on October 6th, Tánaiste Simon Harris and I will present Budget 2027. As part of that process I want to ensure that appropriate provision can be made for any agreement reached. This must be considered in the context of a wide range of competing priorities, including social welfare, health, housing and other essential public services. That is why timely and constructive engagement is so important: it allows Government to plan responsibly and ensure that any agreement is both sustainable and affordable.The Government is clear: we are ready, willing and available for intensive discussions with a view to building consensus towards a new agreement. All issues of importance to both sides can and should be discussed as part of any engagement – that is the very nature of collective bargaining. Agreements are not achieved in isolation. They require engagement, dialogue and negotiation. Setting preconditions or barriers to engagement does not assist the process of building consensus and agreement.The prize is an outcome that provides certainty and stability for public servants and the taxpayer – something all sides, I think, could agree on. For its part, Government has made clear its position that all matters are open for discussion at this stage.While I expected that these discussions would present challenges, I remain of the view that open and exploratory engagement is the only way to build a clearer understanding of each other’s priorities. Experience to date shows that when both sides engage in good faith, meaningful progress can be made.Despite the wider instability, the Irish economy continues to perform strongly with record employment, solid revenue intake and investment in our long-term future through our two savings funds. This strength is down to the hard work and resilience of the Irish workforce – both public and private – combined with sensible management of our public finances. I am confident a new pay deal can ensure we continue on this positive trajectory where our public servants are properly rewarded and at the same time we safeguard our country’s future. This is in everyone’s interest.Jack Chambers is Minister for Public Expenditure, Fianna Fáil deputy leader and TD for Dublin West